Over the last 30 or so years, small town, family-owned farms have given way to large, mechanized production systems that chase the bottom line first, with consumer interests coming in a distant second. Handing over our means of subsistence to large companies whose loyalty resides with shareholders has bred a constant cost-cutting environment that fails to accurately balance the need for profits with the benefits of more traditional farming methods. Genetically modified seeds, the rampant use of pesticides, hormone-injected meats and the increased risk of food contamination are just a few examples of quality sacrificed for quantity. 

 

Aside from the negative health effects, large agribusiness has also contributed to increased poverty in rural America by simply extracting profits rather than reinvesting earnings within communities. Despite their domination of the market, food industry giants continue to successfully lobby for billions in government subsidies, establishing a questionable relationship between politicians and corporate executives. Crossfield accuses the five major conglomerates, Cargill, ADM, Monsanto, Tyson and Smithfield, of price fixing, aggressive marketing, intimidation practices, and creating barriers to entry for smaller farmers. She points to the hefty debt farmers accrue trying to build similarly efficient facilities in order to compete in the marketplace as a major barrier to entry. In addition, the requirement that specific pesticides must treat certain seeds allows the companies to corner the marketplace by tying their products together. 

- Adrine Akopyan

 

Message to Obama: Bust-up the Agribusiness Trusts (by Paula Crossfield, Civil Eats)